Can Cordyceps medicinal mushroom help improve white blood cell counts in leukopenia?
In a research study done at the National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan, Cordyceps sinensis was found to help in the recovery process of leukopenia. Leukopenia, a common side effect of cancer therapy, is characterized by a decrease in white blood cells, which can put the affected persons at a higher chance for infection. With the enhanced recovery of experimental subjects, researchers Wei-Chung Liu et al. believe Cordyceps sinensis can be a valuable source of treatment for patients undergoing chemotherapy, since it impacts bone marrow functioning.
Current forms of treatment for bone marrow recovery include use of cytokines, granulocyte colony stimulating factor, interleukin-11, and granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor. However, because of these treatments’ levels of toxicity, scientists have been searching for alternate, nontoxic types of therapy. Cordyceps sinensis is a medicinal mushroom and herbal remedy that been long used in traditional Tibetan and Chinese medicine. Studies have shown Cordyceps sinensis can be used as an aphrodisiac and antidepressant, increasing physical endurance and energy, treating fatigue, liver damage, and even cancer.
For the Cordyceps sinensis and leukopenia experiment, Liu et al. divided mice into groups. Leukopenia was induced in the experimental group by injecting Taxol one day before Cordyceps sinensis was administered as treatment. The control group was given saline as a placebo. Treatment was conducted daily over the course of three weeks. Blood samples were taken from the subjects to analyze progress.
The effect of Cordyceps sinensis on leukopenia
Cordyceps medicinal mushroom can help with leukopenia — cancer treatment side effect
The researchers found that oral administration of Cordyceps sinensis extracts alone did not affect the count of white blood cells, but it minimized the degree of leukopenia caused by Taxol. Subjects in the Taxol-induced leukopenia group had half the normal number of white blood cells in their blood after four weeks, but those treated with Cordyceps sinensis appeared to be completely recovered with a normal white blood cell count.
Because leukopenia is a common side effect of cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the researchers believe Cordyceps sinensis therapy can help alleviate this negative condition, recovering white blood cells and enhancing bone marrow functioning.
Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2775070/
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